From romanticism to realism, nineteenth-century Russian fiction gave the world masterworlds of the imagination from such authors as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gorky, and Turgenev. This outstanding collection now allows readers to experience their themes, styles, and characters in thirteen carefully selected short stories—tales that fully reveal the quintessential nature of the Russian writers creating under the tsars. From Pushkin at the beginning of the period, whose work contains the essence of what Russian realism would become, to Gorky, who bridged the days of the 1917 Revolution in his brilliant writings, they were artists moved by the spirit of their land, new political ideas and ideals, and the ancient, dark soul of the Slavic people. Passionate or violent, tormented, humorous, cynical, or shining with unparalleled lyricism, these are magnificent stories created by some of the greatest authors of all time.

Contents:

Introduction by Norris Houghton

The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin

Translated by T. Keane

Taman by Mikhail Lermontov

Translated by J. H. Wisdom & Marr Murray

Bezhin Meadows by Ivan Turgenev

Translated by Constance Garnett

How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials by Mikhail Saltykov

Translated by Vera Volkhovsky

A Gentle Spirit by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Translated by Constance Garnett

The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Translated by Constance Garnett

What Men Live By by Leo Tolstoy

Translator not credited

Kholstomer by Leo Tolstoy

Translator not credited

The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Constance Garnett

Anna on the Neck by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Constance Garnett

The Outrage by Alexander Kuprin

Translated by S. Koteliansky and J. M. Murry

In the Steppes by Maxim Gorky

Translated by R. S. Townsend

The Seven Who Were Hanged by Leonid Andreyev

Translated by Eugenia Schimanskaya & M. Elizabeth Gow

Original title: Great Russian Short StoriesOriginal languages:
Russian